The Secret Life of a Japanese Teenager
by Zie Ayton
Summary: AU. This story follows the Yu-Gi-Oh! characters through their lives at Domino High School, a semi-private boarding school in Japan. Watch as their secret, and not so, romances unfold. Some strong language. Has nothing to do with the TV show.
1. Classes and Roommates

**Chapter One  
**_**Classes and Roommates**_

The first day of the new year at Domino High School was just like any other. Students arrived with high hopes of being assigned to classes and roommates that they would like. They shoved their ways through the mass of bodies, searching for friends to find out who their classmates would be. Groans and cheers of delight filled the air as disappointments and pleasant surprises were made.

In one corner of the courtyard stood the notorious duo of Honda Hiroto and Jonouchi Katsuya, who were both wearing frowns.

"I can't believe it!" exclaimed Jonouchi. "I thought that we were going to have the same room and class assignments as last year! With my luck the way it's going, my roommate's going to be Kaiba!"

"He graduated last year," Honda reminded his friend.

The blonde breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief. "I forgot. Well, I guess I don't have to worry about _him_. So you're in class 3-B?"

Honda nodded. "Yeah, and room 515."

A new voice entered the conversation. "You have _got_ to be kidding me." The boys turned to find Otogi Ryuuji—a mutual friend of theirs through Muto Yugi—approaching them.

"What do you want, lover boy?" Jonouchi demanded of the intruder.

"I _want_ a different room," he replied, holding up his schedule, which also displayed his dorm room…number 515.

Honda's eyes bugged. "_WHAT?_"

Across the courtyard, Mazaki Anzu was busy chatting with Jonouchi's younger sister Kawai Shizuka, who was a freshman this year. "It's so great that we're roommates!" she gushed.

Shizuka smiled. "Yeah. I was afraid that I wouldn't know anybody around me. I'm really glad that I have you to help me out."

"Of course!" Anzu rose onto her toes, searching for her usual group of friends. It seemed as though they had not yet begun to congregate, so she took Shizuka's hand and began to drag her through the crowd. "Let me show you where we usually hang out. That way if you ever need one of us and I'm not in our room, you'll know where to look."

"Okay," she responded brightly, as though she had a choice.

Just as the two girls disappeared, Muto Yugi and Muto Yami broke through a final wall of people. "Huh. I could've sworn I saw them," muttered Yugi.

His brother—whose arms seemed to be eternally crossed over his chest—looked down and shrugged. "We may as well find out who our roommates are while we're wandering." Yami was the elder of the Muto boys, but only by a year.

"…have somebody's fucking _head_ for this!"

"Bakura, calm down. It's not that bad."

"_Not that bad?_ We specifically requested to be roomed together! You would think that they would at least pay attention to our _money_ when making room assignments!"

Touzoku Bakura and his younger twin Touzoku Ryou emerged into the same small clearing as the Muto brothers.

Ryou noticed immediately and gave them a broad smile. "Hello! How is your luck going with rooms and classes?"

"Because ours is really sucking so far," added Bakura, which earned him a stern glare from his brother. "You can't say that you're not upset."

"Well," Yugi interrupted, "Yami and I aren't in the same room or class."

"What room are you in?" urged the younger twin.

Yugi looked down at his schedule. "531."

"Good! Mine too! What about you, Yami-san?"

"512."

Bakura let out a low growl. "Fantastic." He had never liked the elder Muto and had never pretended to. His day was getting worse and worse. His only consolation was that he would still be in his brother's class, 2-A.

"So did Bakura! We can all get to know each other better this year!" Honestly, Ryou _was_ upset. Very much so. But he wouldn't let it ruin his school year. So he hadn't been assigned to his brother's room. At least he was with Yugi, and not one of the many boys who was always acting as though they wanted to molest him. There were plenty of those.

"It seems that we've taken care of that matter," said Yami. "Shall we go meet under the tree?" Before the others could agree, he began to walk off, quickly followed by his brother and the Touzoku boys.

Ishtar Marik entered the courtyard alone. He had spent a semester at Domino High School the year before while his sister Isis and adopted brother Rishid were following their Egyptian exhibit across Japan. He attempted in vain to find the reason he had _begged_ Isis to let him come back to this school amongst the sea of blue-uniformed boys and sailor-suited girls. Marik was beginning to regret his impulsive request. For all he knew, the person could have moved away, or maybe graduated. It wasn't as though Marik had ever worked up the courage to say something. He looked down at his schedule, which told him that his room number was 509. Last year he had been given an empty room because he had enrolled after all the other students had been paired up. There was no chance that he would be alone this year. He just hoped that he wasn't in a room with some pervert who assumed that because they were roommates, they would be secret lovers who kept all sexual relations confined to their bedroom. Or a total homophobe. Or someone who liked bringing his girlfriends and/or boyfriends over to make out. The list went on and on. Since he had no friends—or acquaintances, really—Marik followed the steady stream of boys that had already started toward the dormitory building. The easiest way to find his roommate would be to sit on his bed and see who came in. Besides, being the first there meant that he got to pick his bed.

By this time, the group of friends consisting of Jonouchi, Honda, Otogi, Anzu, Shizuka, Yugi, Yami, Bakura, and Ryou had converged at the picnic table under the tallest tree on the campus, where they were discussing their classes and roommates. Shizuka was alone in class 1-C. Jonouchi, Yami, Bakura, and Ryou were in class 2-A. Honda, Otogi, Anzu, and Yugi were in class 3-B.

Room assignments had been taken differently by all of them. Honda and Otogi regarded one another with suspicious glares. Anzu and Shizuka were absolutely _thrilled_. Yugi and Ryou were happy to know that they had not been placed with someone scary. Yami and Bakura paid no attention to each other.

Out of everyone under the tree, Jonouchi was the only person who still didn't know who his roommate was, and was secretly nervous. There were a lot of guys at Domino High School who wanted to beat him down, and if he happened to have been assigned with any one of them, he may as well start writing his will. He also hoped that his roommate didn't turn out to be gay or bisexual. It wasn't that he was homophobic; he just didn't like the idea of having to listen to the guy needling him about "experimenting" all year. Otogi had told horror stories about his bisexual roommate last year, though as Jonouchi and Honda had agreed, he was asking for it with his pretty hair and gorgeous green eyes, not to mention his "sweet ass", as they had overheard one of the girls in their class say. Jonouchi was perfectly straight, and he didn't want to have to say it more than once. He turned when he felt someone tapping on his shoulder.

Honda looked down at him, a shadow of Jonouchi's apprehension in his eyes. "You want me to wait outside your door?"

"Sure, pal," he replied as he rose. "But don't come in unless I say the code word."

"What's that?"

Jonouchi grinned. " 'Honda, get your ass in here, dammit! This guy's gonna kill me!' "

"Got it," Honda said, returning the gesture.

* * *

Beginning of a brand new project (what am I _thinking_?)! The first few chapters are going to be a little short, as they are mostly introducing everyone's AU backstory. Please review, as I would like to know your opinion as to whether you're interested enough for me to continue or not. I already have a few chapters, but I figured that I'd better beta it on all of you guys. Thanks for reading, and once again, please REVIEW.


	2. Pride Issues

**Chapter Two  
**_**Pride Issues**_

Marik entered room 509 with the key he had been given upon entering the building. It wasn't large, but at least the beds were on opposite sides of the room rather than bunked. The design of these beds still confused him: their posts were taller than him, but there was no canopy over either of them. He supposed that he would ask his roommate about it if the guy seemed friendly. While he waited, Marik busied himself with making the room more livable. He pulled the purple sheets from home out of his bag and put them on the bed on the right side of the room; they didn't really fit, but they made him a little less homesick. He hung up a couple of posters he'd asked Isis for after he discovered several bands and movies that he took a liking to on YouTube last year. The door opened just as he tacked one up that showed the profile of a naked woman with a lobster claw being watched by a shadow guy—it was the newest album cover of some foreign band that was popular in America—that he had chosen not only because he liked the band, but also because it was about as gay as James Bond and would therefore hopefully deter harassment. Marik turned to greet his roommate.

There was no _not_ recognizing the tall blond boy who entered the room: Jonouchi Katsuya. Marik remembered him as the not-so-academic mischief-maker he had noticed getting into fights with guys twice his size. The fights had mostly been over pride, which Marik had found out that Jonouchi had quite a lot of. He was best friends with Honda Hiroto, who often fought right alongside him. He had another close friend, Muto Yugi; they made an odd pair, but their bond was strong and Jonouchi would sometimes fight in his defense.

Jonouchi's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected for his roommate to have already settled in as much as he obviously had. Nor had he expected _who_ the guy happened to be. It was the Egyptian kid from another class last year, Ishtar Marik, whose sister was traveling around Japan with an exhibit or something. Ishtar had enrolled at second semester, so he was spared the difficulties of a roommate and remained pretty antisocial all semester. The guy hadn't made any friends and he didn't talk to anybody except for his teachers. Or at least that was what Jonouchi had heard about him.

Both boys remained silent for a while, each studying the other, trying to make up his mind about what he thought of the arrangement.

Eventually, Jonouchi broke the ice. "Hi. I'm Jonouchi Katsuya. Looks like we'll be roommates this year."

Marik bowed in return, the way Isis had taught him. It was supposedly polite, though he didn't quite get it: it seemed submissive more than anything. "I'm Marik Ishtar…I mean, Ishtar Marik." He still had trouble remembering that his last name was supposed to go first. "It's good to meet you, Jonouchi…uh, san." He wasn't comfortable with honorifics either.

"It's cool if you just call me Jonouchi, Ishtar."

"Then I'd prefer if you would just call me Marik."

The other nodded. "That's cool too." He turned and looked out the door. "Hey, Honda, you can go to your room now. This guy's not gonna be a problem."

"Do I have to? I've got a feeling that Otogi _is_ gonna be one."

"Stop complainin'. Just be glad he's straight." To signal that the conversation was over and that Honda was not welcome in his room just yet, Jonouchi shut the door on him. He spun around, ready to begin the awkward but necessary introduction conversation, only to meet a death glare from Marik. He was a little taken aback. "What'd I say?"

Marik crossed his arms. "If you're homophobic, we're going to have problems."

_Great_, thought Jonouchi. _This is exactly what I was afraid of._ "Look, man, let's just get this out of the way. I'm perfectly straight and—"

"_Are you homophobic?_"

Jonouchi held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "I never said that. I just want to make it clear that—"

"Then we're okay," Marik interrupted. He turned back to his wall, where he began to stick up another poster. "To be honest, I was kinda hoping for a straight roommate. This way I don't have to worry about being molested in the middle of the night." He looked over his shoulder with a somewhat approachable grin. "I'm not going to pester you about experimenting or anything like that. And just for the record, I'm bi, not gay."

Jonouchi breathed a sigh of relief. _Crisis averted._ He went over to the bed on the left side of the room and started putting his sheets on. "So, uh, Marik," he said, beginning the awkward small-talk. "What class are you in?"

"2-A. What about you?"

"Same. So…got any irrelevant icebreaker questions?"

"What's your favorite color?" Marik responded. It was the most generic, most irrelevant question _ever_.

His roommate laughed. "Blue, I guess. I hate that question. What's yours?"

"Purple." With his posters finally all up, Marik turned and sat on his bed, watching Jonouchi finish making his. "Got any favorite bands?"

"I'm not a big music person. You?"

"If you're not big on music, then you've probably never heard of them."

"Try me."

Marik shrugged. "There's this American band called Linkin Park."

"I've heard of them. They came touring here a couple of years ago."

"Huh." The other searched for another question. "Favorite books?"

"I don't do a lotta reading, but I do like Battle Royale."

Marik nodded. "I've heard about that one. I haven't read it, though."

"It's pretty cool. I mean, _I_ finished it, right? I've usually got the attention span of a squirrel when it comes to books," Jonouchi laughed. "What kinda stuff do you read?"

"I dabble in pretty much everything, but I found some translated stuff from an American guy called Stephen King that I liked. I've been going through the classic stuff, too. Bram Stoker, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Mary Shelley, John Steinbeck. Then I started on some Japanese classics last year; I only got through Obasan and Shogun, though."

Jonouchi shook his head incredulously. "You mean you read the stuff they force on us in school for _fun_?"

"I guess you could look at it that way."

"You're weird," Jonouchi replied as he flopped back onto his own bed. He folded his arms behind his head and looked over at his roommate; his carefree attitude dissolved when he saw the same look on Marik's face as when he'd made the homophobic comment. _Crap._ "I didn't mean it that way!" he said as he bolted upright. "It was just supposed to be a—"

Marik's glare hardened. "You wouldn't know decent literature if it punched you in the face." He reached into his bookbag to search for a way to ignore his roommate.

"Hey, now, learn to take a joke! I'm not exactly the most serious guy in the world!"

"You're certainly the most inconsiderate asshole," Marik retorted as he opened the new book he'd had to go through Rishid to get Isis to buy for him, a compilation of the works of Edgar Allen Poe. His iPod would have made it much easier to shut Jonouchi out completely, but it didn't drive the point quite as well as his book.

_This guy is really starting to piss me off_, Jonouchi thought as he watched his roommate open up a book. "You're the inconsiderate asshole." He scowled when Marik continued reading without even making a face. "We're gonna be livin' together for the next year, so you better start learning to take a joke!"

"I think that I'll just train myself to ignore you," Marik replied calmly. "It would be really helpful if you would shut the fuck up."

Jonouchi clenched his fists. He could feel the heat of anger rising to his face, demanding to be unleashed on this arrogant son of a bitch. By the faint smirk tugging at the other's lips, he could tell that that was exactly what Marik _wanted_ him to do. So instead of lashing out like instinct told him to, Jonouchi stalked out of the room, barely able to avoid slamming the door behind himself.

The moment he was alone, the smug expression on Marik's face disappeared. Jonouchi was right, of course: they _were_ going to have to learn to get along. Unfortunately, they both obviously had a lot of pride issues that they would have to work out before that could happen. Marik wasn't used to having his opinions challenged, so when Jonouchi had expressed his own, the walls instantly went up. It was a defense mechanism that he wasn't so proud of, and one that he figured he'd better work on getting rid of before he did any more damage. _Damn it_, he thought. _Now we're going to have to go through apologies. This is going to be a struggle for _both_ of us._ Now that the moment was over, Marik wished that he'd just kept his stupid mouth shut. He sighed and laid his book down. _I'd better get to work on my apology._ He dug around in his bookbag until his hand found the rectangular object hiding in the bottom. He pulled his iPod out and stared at it for a moment. This was nothing like him, and he really loved the thing, but he had to make peace _somehow_. _It's not like I'm _giving_ it to him_, Marik thought to steel his resolve. He wrote a note on a sheet of notebook paper, folded it, and placed both on Jonouchi's bed before grabbing his Poe book and leaving. He figured he would make sure that no one else tried to claim his "spot" from the year before. Besides, he figured that it would be best if he gave Jonouchi some alone time with his peace offering.

* * *

So there's the next chapter. Five bucks for whoever can name the band and album of Marik's poster ($2.50 per piece of information)! At least I would. I shall wish it upon you if you mention it in your review. Also, for my Evil Angel readers, new chapter is up now! Review this one first, though. Pretty please?


	3. Ceasefire

**Chapter Three  
**_**Ceasefire**_

Honda opened the door of his room a little bit grudgingly. He didn't want to have to face Otogi just yet. Not ever, really. At the beginning of last year it had been Jonouchi who despised Otogi, who was arrogant and liked to show off. Jonouchi had tried to pick a fight, but Yugi had stepped in and convinced them to bury the hatchet. Everything was okay for a while…until Otogi picked up Jonouchi's wallet one day after it fell out of its owner's pocket and saw the picture that Jonouchi kept of his little sister, Shizuka, and became infatuated with her. Not only did this start more arguments with Jonouchi, but it also set off Honda, who had had a crush on the girl for nearly two years since meeting her at one of his and Jonouchi's soccer games. So had begun the three-man battle over Kawai Shizuka. It was kind of like the Trojan War, only much less bloody. Now not only was Shizuka in high school, but Honda and Otogi were sharing a room, and it wasn't likely that Honda could convince the other to switch rooms with Jonouchi since that would make his new roommate that Ishtar guy, who was obviously gay. With all this on his mind, Honda shut the door behind himself.

Otogi had sunk into a contemplation of his own. If he was honest, Honda Hiroto didn't really bother him too much. If Otogi had never discovered Kawai Shizuka, they would probably have become pretty good friends. But so long as they both remained enamored of Jonouchi's fine little sister, there was no chance that they could be anything more than rivals in love. Otogi pushed his bangs out of his eyes and stared out the window, which was a perfect vantage point of the girls dormitories. He wondered if he would be able to find Shizuka's room from here. It wasn't that he wanted to stalk her or anything, but he liked the idea of knowing something that Honda didn't. Unfortunately, all the girls' blinds were shut, so he had no way of seeing into their dorms. He shrugged and turned away. _Maybe later._ He dropped onto the left bed—already covered with his black and red sheets. His last roommate had called him "emo" all year because of them. Dorm life last year had been a living _hell_ because of that guy, something-or-other Sho. Sho had announced that he was bisexual the moment he'd entered their room, and didn't waste his energy pretending that he didn't think Otogi was hot. He maintained a continuous pursuit in spite of Otogi's daily turndowns. The end of that year had been the best last day of school of Otogi's _life_. He sat up when he heard the door open and close. Despite the rivalry, he was determined to _not_ make dorm life a living hell this year. "Hey, Honda."

"Hey," Honda replied a little curtly. He might have to get along with his roommate, but he certainly didn't have to like it. He set to work putting sheets on his bed.

A sigh escaped Otogi's lips. It seemed that making some sort of peace would not be easy. "Look, I know that we have our rivalry and all, but let's leave it outside of this room, okay?"

"You sound like one of those feel-good teachers who's always preaching about being kind to everyone. And Anzu."

Otogi put on a tone of sarcastic indignation. "You can compare me to a teacher, but when you compare me to Anzu-chan, you've gone too far!"

"Anzu's a good person. Just annoying sometimes." Honda wanted nothing to do with Otogi's peacemaking attempts.

"I was just kidding, man. You don't have to get so defensive. She's my friend too, after all." This wasn't going well, and Otogi was running out of ideas. He finally spoke, trying to lace his tone with as much resignation as he could manage. "Look, let's make a deal: I don't talk about her, you don't talk about her, and we don't get into fights."

Honda turned to face the other. "No shrines, either," he added, totally deadpan.

After a moment of silence, they both burst into laughter and shook hands on it.

"Maybe this won't be so bad after all," Otogi said once he'd caught his breath. "You're pretty cool."

"Thanks. You're not such a bad guy yourself."

Otogi wandered back to the window and gazed across the courtyard. Several of the windows had been uncovered, and he could now see some of the girls chatting on their beds. He scanned all of them, but it didn't seem as though Shizuka and Anzu had opened theirs just yet. _They might not even be on this side of the building_, he thought. That would be disappointing. He hoped that wasn't the case.

"Whatcha looking at?" asked Honda as he approached from behind. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. "Trying to find anyone in particular?" _Duh._

The other shook his head. "Nah. I figured that I'd better get a hobby, and people watching is as good a one as any."

"I think that qualifies you as a peeping Tom," he commented.

"Not really. It's not like I'm gonna watch them undress or anything."

"It's still kind of creepy." Despite his criticism, Honda scanned the open windows, trying to find Shizuka and Anzu. He didn't find them, but his eyes came across another girl he had a crush on. "There's Miho-chan."

Otogi followed Honda's finger to a window near the bottom. "The blue-haired girl who's always wearing a ponytail?" He raised an eyebrow at Honda's nod. "She's okay. A little stuck-up."

"You're one to talk."

"Excuse me?"

_Damn._ Honda hadn't meant to say that aloud. Of course he and Jonouchi had always been a little put off by Otogi's superior demeanor, but he at least he was okay with hanging around them. From what Honda had gathered, Otogi had a lot of money, some of it supposedly from his own endeavors.

Before Honda could answer, Otogi gave a slight shrug. "I guess I act a little self-important sometimes. I'll forget that you said that."

_That last sentence totally made you look more humble_, Honda thought. He resolved not to dwell on it, though. It had been meant to reinforce their ceasefire. He nodded and returned to watching Miho, who was brushing out her ponytail.

Otogi's attention roamed from room to room, searching for any girl worth looking at. Just as he reached the fourth floor, a new window opened, and there she was: Shizuka was leaning out and letting the breeze lift her hair. The spectacle was breathtaking. He rested his elbows on the windowsill and fixed his gaze on the girl. If Jonouchi had been there to see Otogi, he probably would have slid _his_ window up and pushed him out of it for staring at his little sister like that. It was a good thing that Jonouchi wasn't there.

The wistful expression that crossed his roommate's face did not escape Honda's notice. He found the cause almost immediately. Shizuka was leaning out of her window, probably marveling at the courtyard below. She kept turning her head back, so he assumed that she was talking to Anzu. Honda wished that she would look up so he could see her sparkling grey eyes.

Each knew exactly what the other was thinking, but decided against retaliating, at least for the time-being. They didn't want to miss even a second of the pretty younger girl who was so innocently oblivious to both of their advances.

* * *

Well, about last chapter's challenge: nobody up to this point has gotten either the band or the album. I'm surprised, actually. Bullet for My Valentine's new album, _Fever_. Well, to anyone who got that after I posted, good job! Not that I'm reprimanding. Love y'all!

As for this chapter, I've got another challenge. Remember Otogi's bi roommate? Five dollars if you can give me his last name. Hint: you can find the answer in something mentioned last chapter.

Ahem. _No me gusta este capítulo pero no me gusta estos personajes._ (Good grammar? I have to get back into the swing of Spanish for school.) This chapter was a little hard for me because I'm not really used to Honda and Otogi. Of course, the point of this fic is to get myself accustomed to the voices of more than three characters, but it was still hard for me as these two are not exactly my favorites. Anyway, thank you for reading and please review!


	4. Life Lessons

**Chapter Four  
****_Life Lessons_**

Anzu and Shizuka entered their room—number 414—together.

"Are you nervous about starting high school?" asked Anzu as she pulled out her pink-flowered bedding.

Shizuka shrugged. "Well, it _is_ high school, so I guess I'm a little nervous. But I'm also excited to make new friends."

"I hope you have as good of luck as my group has! We're all really close, and I don't think that we'll ever lose contact, even when I go to New York!"

"New York?" the younger girl questioned.

Anzu beamed at her. "I've been saving up my money for several years now so I can go to New York to study dance! It's been my dream ever since I was little."

"That's great." Shizuka pulled her sheets out of her bag and began fixing her bed.

"What are your plans for the future?"

That was a really good question. She hadn't really found her purpose in life just yet, and was hoping that this year would offer some sort of answer as to what she wanted to do once she graduated. Her brother Katsuya wasn't much help in the matter; he hadn't decided what he was going to do either. Whenever she would ask him about it, he would tell her, _"I'm just gonna follow my instincts, and wherever they lead me I'll go. Unless they try leading me to bumming and alcohol. I will _never_ be like Dad."_ Shizuka looked up at her roommate. "I want to have a family someday, but so far that's all I know."

"That's okay," Anzu replied with an encouraging smile. "There's no need to rush. You've still got plenty of time to decide."

Shizuka nodded and returned the gesture. "You're right." She pulled at the collar of her uniform. "It's getting hot in here."

The older girl nodded to the window. "Go ahead and open it."

"Thanks." Shizuka pulled up the blinds and slid the window up; a slight breeze entered the room. She followed an impulse and leaned out a little. The wind on her face felt nice after the uncomfortably stagnant air of the room. She looked down at all the people in the courtyard. The boys were roughhousing and the girls were huddled together and giggling. The separation seemed odd to her. "Anzu?" she asked.

Anzu looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"Why don't you ever hang out with other girls?"

"Huh…that's a good question. Let me think about it." Anzu smiled as Shizuka leaned out the window. She leaned back against the wall beside her bed and closed her eyes. _Why _do_ I spend so much time around the guys?_ One answer came quickly: Muto Yami. They had met when she was five and he was six, when his little brother Yugi invited her to their house for his fifth birthday party. Back then she had simply admired him because he was so kind to her best friend, but as the years went by, her admiration had matured, evolved. By junior high, Anzu had accepted that she was in love with Muto Yami. That was the first reason. The second was Muto Yugi. They had been friends since they began school, and had miraculously gone to the same schools as they grew up, making their bond even tighter. As she'd said before, Anzu didn't believe that anything could break that, not even hundreds of thousands of miles separating them. That was reason number two. Her third reason was that most of the girls she had met over the course of her lifetime were catty and acted dumb just to impress the boys. Because she grew up with Yugi as her best friend, Anzu never felt the need to be a backstabber, and certainly no need to _impress_ the boys. If she had learned one thing from the guys that would help her in love, it was that there was _never_ a reason to put on an act to get a boy's attention. If he was worth getting the attention of, he would like her for who she was. The guys had taught her countless other valuable life lessons that Anzu was certain couldn't be gained from hanging out with other girls. She finally spoke. "I guess it's because I grew up with Yugi-kun as my best friend. I learned the ways of the boys, and I've found them to be more helpful than the ways of the girls. Or at least the girls that I've observed."

Shizuka nodded. "I've learned a lot from my brother, even though Mom and Dad got a divorce when we were little. Katsuya taught me to believe in myself no matter what people say. He's the only one who's always been there for me. I think that boys make better friends, too." She flashed back to all the times her brother had come to her rescue: as small as getting a scraped knee, as big as coping with their parents' divorce. Just before junior high, when she had found out that she would be going to a different school than all her elementary school friends, every one of the girls ignored her because she would no longer be a part of their group. Katsuya had saved her then, when he'd come to the Kawai household seeking refuge from their drunken father. He had told her that those girls were just jealous because she was getting a fresh chance to define herself and meet new people, _better_ people. "My big brother is my best friend."

"He's one of mine too," replied Anzu. "I'm so glad that Jonouchi-kun and Yugi-kun became friends. Otherwise, I never would have gotten to know him, since he used to be caught up in all the gangs and fights. He's really straightened out since then." Anzu admired Jonouchi the way she had once admired Yami. He was strong and determined, but he always put the people he loved before himself. Even though he could be stubborn and hotheaded at times, Anzu still considered Jonouchi a veritable role model.

With a hand raised to block the sun, Shizuka's eyes met the building directly across the courtyard. "That's the boys' dormitories, right?" she asked Anzu.

"Hmm?" Anzu stood and went over beside her younger roommate. "Yeah. Let's see if any of the guys are there!"

"Isn't that kind of like stalking?"

"Nah! I remember they all said they were on the fifth floor, so let's look at those windows!" None of the boys seemed to have their windows opened, but most had pulled back their curtains, and the sun was behind the building, so there was no glare. Anzu cycled through the windows one by one, searching for any of her friends. She finally found two of them at the eighth window. Anzu raised an arm and pointed it out to Shizuka. "There's Honda and Otogi."

Shizuka looked up to the boys and met their eyes. She smiled and waved, wondering if they could even see her. She blinked a few times when their curtain was promptly closed. "I wonder why they did that."

With a sly smirk, Anzu said, "Because you caught them staring at you."

A few more blinks followed the comment. "What?"

Anzu decided not to pursue the matter. All of her friends knew of the rivalry between Honda and Otogi over Shizuka, but Shizuka herself had remained blissfully ignorant…or so they all assumed, as she never seemed to take their most blatant advances as anything more than friendly gestures. It sort of reminded Anzu of how Yami had always acted around _her_. Not that she had ever out-and-out _flirted_, but she had thought that maybe he would notice at some point. And yet, over ten years later, he had still yet to acknowledge that Anzu liked him. She wondered if he was purposely ignoring the fact in order to maintain their friendship, or if he—like Shizuka—simply didn't know. Anzu returned to her bed and lay down. "I'm going to take a nap, Shizuka. Could you please wake me up at lunchtime?"

"Sure!"

"Thanks."

And so Anzu slipped into her dream world, while Shizuka remained at the window, pondering what could possibly come of the year ahead of her.

* * *

Meh. Also not my absolute favorite characters, so the chapter's not really awesome... Next, however, I _finally_ get to another favorite! I am happy to write the chapter for him, but not really for his roommate, who I must also get used to.

Anyway, I don't have any pop culture references in this chapter. Last chapter's reference was Tsukioka Sho from Battle Royale. Yes, to anyone who is familiar with him, I know that he was gay in the book.

Please review, everyone. And if you haven't noticed—and it seems like many people haven't—there's a new chapter of Evil Angel!


	5. Silent Animosity

**Chapter Five  
**_**Silent Animosity**_

Bakura dropped onto his bed without bothering to put his sheets on. He and Yami hadn't spoken a word to each other since they discovered that they would be roommates, and he had no intention of changing that. He _despised_ the elder Muto boy in a way he had never despised another human being. There was nothing about him that didn't make Bakura want to kill him. His amethyst eyes always held a light of superiority to which he had no right. His ridiculous hair made him stand out no matter where he was; not even the Touzoku twins' long white hair made as much of an impression. His eternally crossed arms were like a shield, and were practically the only reason that he was not approached by many people. Whenever he spoke—those instances were few and far between—he always said something that at least _seemed_ to be incredibly profound. Bakura was certain that every bit of it was nothing more than an elaborate act devised to make him seem like some wise, ancient soul that should be feared and respected. Bakura despised Muto Yami.

Unlike his sullen roommate, Yami dressed his bed before pulling out his book on ancient Egyptian history, which his brother had bought him for his birthday. Despite how he tried, though, he couldn't seem to keep his mind in the fascinating information. He could feel Bakura's silent animosity radiating across the room. Admittedly, Yami had never been fond of the elder Touzoku, but he kept that feeling to himself. He knew he had no right to speak badly of him; they barely knew each other. What Yami knew of Bakura came entirely from the stories Yugi unintentionally relayed from Ryou. From them, he had learned that Bakura acted as though he cared for no one but his brother, of whom he was overly protective. Nobody dared to mess with the boy for fear his brother would torture them…or, if he was feeling merciful, murder them in their sleep. Bakura was intelligent, but school had never caught his interest, so he did only enough work to get by. He had no hobbies of his own, instead opting to stay by Ryou's side 24/7. Ryou had confessed to Yugi that sometimes he felt like his brother was suffocating him more effectively than any tormenters ever could, but he knew that it was all because Bakura loved him, so he let it continue. Aside from the fact that he hated Yami with an inexplicable passion, that was all that Yami had ever learned about Touzoku Bakura.

_Fucking idiots_, thought Bakura, still boiling over the rooms. _Fucking idiots with their fucking rules._ It just couldn't be as simple as trading so that both pairs of brothers were together because, _"Believe it or not, each and every one of you is assigned your roommate for a reason. There will be no changes made in assignments and anyone caught trying to make any themselves will be punished."_ Bakura suppressed a growl. _Fucking school._ What was so hard about honoring specific requests for security reasons? Ryou's "handpicked"—Bakura was fairly certain that the school actually used a computer to randomly assign them—roommate could have easily been one of the perverts who ignored Bakura's threats and continued to hit on the boy. Even though Bakura didn't _like_ Muto Yugi all that much, it was at least somewhat comforting to know that it was _him_. Yugi was about as dangerous as Ryou: in other words, he was totally harmless. The thought put a smirk on Bakura's face.

Yami had honestly worried about his brother when they first found that they would not have the same room. Yugi didn't seem to realize it, but…he was undeniably _cute_ and completely innocent. He was honey, attracting every despicable fly in the school. His magnetism was outmatched only by poor Touzoku Ryou; that boy had probably been hit on by every gay and bisexual guy in the school, as well as numerous "straight" ones and most of the girls. Yami wondered if Ryou was gay. Not that it was any of his business—and he didn't imagine it to be—but it would explain a lot about him. He also wondered if the boy's twin was gay. The possibility didn't bother Yami in the least: after all, Bakura hated him, and he didn't see that changing any time in the foreseeable future.

Lying on his bed was boring. Bakura sat up and looked around, searching for something to do. His first thought was to look through the contents of his bag, but he pushed it away; he refused to open it in Yami's presence. His eyes then fell on the window, but since it didn't look out over the courtyard so he could watch the idiots he shared a campus with, it didn't seem very inviting. But after a quick sweep of the room revealed nothing more appealing, Bakura jumped up and opened the curtains. Outside the window lay nothing more than a few trees and the wall that kept students confined to the premises. He was just about to return to his bed when a lone figure entered his line of sight; the all-blue uniform proclaimed the figure to be a him. Judging by the color of his skin, he was foreign. Bakura concluded that the guy was a bit of a fag, with his longish blonde hair and his gold jewelry—which he really wasn't supposed to be wearing. This was exactly what caught and held Bakura's attention. He watched as the boy folded gracefully into the roots of one of the trees, where he would no doubt remain undiscovered by any passers-by. Bakura savored his secret vantage point: he was probably in the only room that showed the boy's spot. He squinted when the boy pulled out a book, trying to read the title or get some clue as to what it was by the cover, but gave up when all he could make out was that the cover was black and the words were red. Bakura's boredom magnified his interest to the point of being enraptured by the occasional page-turn made by the dark, slender fingers that held the book.

Though he had noticed him get up awhile ago, Yami took no notice until he realized that Bakura had been standing at the window for nearly ten minutes. He looked up from his book—which he had finally been able to concentrate on—and studied his roommate. He was staring out the window with, from what of his face Yami could see, something of a smug expression. He must have found that he could see someone's secret hiding place, or something along those lines. Yami knew better than to comment, despite how unsettling Bakura's current pastime was to him. He settled back into his book, reading about the habits of the pharaohs.

Bakura wondered who this strange boy outside his window was. He couldn't be new to the school: he'd settled between those roots with a practiced ease. And yet Bakura had never seen him before. There was no way he wouldn't have _noticed_ him, so they must never have shared a class. _Maybe we will this year_, Bakura surprised himself by thinking. He made a face of disgust at the hope. Not only was it futile, but it was utterly revolting that he would think of such a thing. It wasn't that he denied that he was attracted to some guys, but rather that he hated the thought of being a hopeless voyeur who watched the routine of his dream lover through a window without ever moving to greet him. _Dream lover? Ha!_ Even as he scorned himself, he felt a pang of disappointment when the boy looked at his watch, rose to his feet as gracefully as he'd sat, and left. _I doubt this will be the last time he does this. Not that I care._

Yami looked up again when he heard a faint scoff coming from Bakura. It was the first sound he'd made since entering the room. He raised his brows, wondering what had struck his roommate as amusing. Now that his mind had once again been wrenched out of Egypt, he allowed it to wander. _I wonder how Yugi and Ryou-san are getting along?_ Surely better than Bakura and himself. The two were already friends, though not exceptionally close. Yami had a feeling that this had a lot to do with Bakura's constant presence, leaving Ryou with almost no time to make friends on his own. Now that the boy had a little bit of freedom, Yami expected that he would make good use of it and take his chance to finally socialize properly. He had always seemed to be the type of person who liked people but appeared antisocial because he didn't have many chances to approach them.

With the foreign boy gone, Bakura allowed his thoughts to drift. He hoped that Ryou liked his roommate. Well, not _that_ way, of course. Bakura didn't want _anyone_, not even harmless Yugi, to catch his brother's eye. Not until he could fend for himself, which Bakura knew that he couldn't. Not just yet. Until the point that he deemed his brother ready to go out on his own, Bakura would keep watch over him. The room situation made it difficult, though. He just had to hope that Muto Yugi, with his perpetual kindness and innocence, was not his brother's type. He often worried over just what Ryou's type _was_. The boy had never _really_ shown an interest in any one person, just an affinity to guys in general. Bakura had spent much of the previous year pointing out random guys, just to see his brother's reactions; mostly Ryou just shrugged and shook his head. It was frustrating not knowing who to look out for. He didn't have to worry about jocks, bullies, queens, nerds, artists, emos, or innocents. What kinds of people did that leave? He was almost afraid to find out.

_Yugi is sure to be just fine with Ryou-san_, Yami decided. Now that he was certain no misfortune would befall his younger brother because of the room assignments, he was actually _happy_ how they had turned out. Both his brother and Bakura's needed time away from their older siblings. It was good that they had so much in common; they would be kept busy getting to know each other better. _No time to feel lonely._ Knowing that his brother would be content lifted Yami's sagging spirits, even when Bakura shot him a glare as he left the room.

It was almost lunch time, and Bakura figured that he would get a head start on the rest of the crowd. Just as he closed the door behind himself, he caught a flash of blonde and dark skin disappearing into room 509. His smirk returned. _This kid is becoming more stalkable by the second._ Then he began down the hall, filling his head with visions of onigiri and noodles. And the stalkable foreign boy.

* * *

Hahaha! I _loved_ this chapter! It's the first I've ever written that was totally _silent_, and it _still_ ended up being my longest up to this point for this fic. Plus, it was fun getting into _Touzoku_ Bakura's mind and seeing what that looked like. To my surprise, Yami was actually kind of interesting too. It's funny how similar the two really are here. I feel _so_ bad for that poor, "nameless" foreign boy. Anyway, next chapter is the last room introduction, which leaves only two characters.

Now, please review! I LOVE your opinions!


	6. Takes One To Know One?

**Chapter Six  
**_**Takes One To Know One?**_

Yugi and Ryou shared a comfortable silence as they dressed their beds and otherwise made their room more personal. When he finished with this chore, each sat on his own bed—Ryou on the left and Yugi on the right. At this point the silence became more strained. They were both trying to come up with _something_ to say and break the quiet that seemed to be growing between them.

Finally, they both started with, "Well—" They stopped, grinned, and laughed together. The laughter served as a catalyst for conversation.

"How was your break?" asked Ryou. He knew it was a general question, but they had to start somewhere.

Yugi answered with enthusiasm, probably because he had yet to be asked by the rest of his friends. "It was actually great! Yami, Grandpa, and I went to Tokyo. We watched some really amazing traditional dance performances, went to a tea ceremony, and then went to see one of the old shrines. It doesn't sound like much, but we all had a good time, and that's what matters, right? How was _your_ break?"

The other boy blinked. He honestly hadn't expected for his inquiry to be reciprocated. "Well…uh…Bakura and I stayed at home. Father was in China examining a potential exhibit for the museum."

"Well, you still had to have done _something_! You two don't share much with the rest of us. C'mon, what did you do? With you around, it couldn't have been anything bad." He smiled and tilted his head, encouraging a response from his roommate.

Ryou sighed at Yugi's oblivion. If only _he_ had gotten the deranged, overprotective brother, then maybe he would understand. But Ryou could never wish that on him: he wouldn't be Yugi if _he_ had been the one smothered by the brother who was his senior by fewer than two hours. Ryou banished the hateful thoughts of his brother. Everything he did he did because he loved Ryou; that was an undeniable fact. The boy could never condemn the result of love…at least not for very long. His head snapped up when his roommate said his name. He met the other's eyes with a sheepish expression. "I'm sorry, Yugi-san. I guess I got a little lost there for a minute."

"It's fine," Yugi replied. His expression held the tiny bit of concern that he could not conceal. This wasn't the first time Ryou had spaced out in the middle of a conversation. In fact, it seemed that whenever _anyone_ managed to get him to say more than a few sentences, he suddenly drifted into another world. In a way, Yugi understood…because the same thing tended to happen to his brother Yami. When Yugi had asked what was going on when he entered an untimely silence, Yami had replied that his mind was wandering, delving deep into the thought that had been presented before it happened, far too deep to express in words. Like Yami, Ryou seemed to enter another realm when he fell silent, a realm in which he was wholly submerged. When he was there, his expressions were inexplicable by any but himself. This time, he had held a simmering something almost like anger, which faded into a sort of melancholy. "What were you thinking about?"

Ryou's face flushed. "It was…it was nothing," he began evasively. "You know me, always going into my own little world!" He couldn't keep his laugh from sounding forced.

The concern did not leave Yugi, but he decided that it was best to just let it go for the time being. "So, what did you and Bakura-kun do over break?"

_It would be best if I just answered._ "We spent most of the time out, going to bookstores and getting different flavors of ice cream every day."

His roommate's reluctance to answer puzzled Yugi. There was nothing bad or wrong or even _weird_ about any of that. "How did Bakura-kun like the bookstores?" he asked.

Ryou shrugged. "As well as he likes pretty much everything else." _With a cold indifference_. There was only one thing that Bakura had _ever_ shown an open interest in: his younger brother. To many people he appeared to have almost no preferences to anything. But Ryou knew better. He knew that Bakura's favorite food was onigiri, but he refused to eat plain rice. He knew that Bakura secretly listened to heavy metal bands even though he couldn't always understand what they were saying, then turned around and blasted European classical from his mp3 player. He knew that Bakura had read Battle Royale three times and would probably read it again soon, yet had taken a liking to some of the darker poets. He knew that Bakura enjoyed English class, hated Literature, and had devised every excuse imaginable for cutting math. Not only did Bakura _have_ a personality, but it was a lot more complicated than many others'. "He didn't mind, though." _He never minds._

"Did you do anything by yourself?"

"Not really." _Bakura would never let me._

Though Ryou didn't voice it, Yugi could hear the unspoken truth. He thought of how the Touzoku brothers' relationship differed from the Mutos'. Between him and Yami, there were few secrets, because there was little reason for them. Because Yami was a year older, he was not constantly around Yugi. As twins—and rich kids—Ryou and Bakura were _always_ together. This was probably the first year since they were _born_ that they were not sharing a room. _No wonder Bakura was so mad._ It had to be distressing. Yami and Yugi had shared a room before high school, but their separation had not had anywhere near the same effect as the Touzokus'. Yami had been quiet after he and Yugi found out, no doubt pondering the complication. He hadn't really started talking much more after he learned that Yugi's roommate was Touzoku Ryou and that his own roommate was Touzoku Bakura, so Yugi had no idea how he felt about the arrangement. He didn't think that his brother would have a problem with Ryou.

Sometimes Ryou wished that Muto Yami was _his_ older brother. He obviously cared for Yugi's safety, but he wasn't overbearing in his concern. He was quiet, but in a way that you just _knew_ that there was some sort of philosophical contemplation going on in his head, not plans for elaborate tortures. He let his brother do as he pleased—within reason, of course—and spent time doing what _he_ wanted to do, rather than following Yugi around. Yami didn't glare at any and every person who stared at his younger brother with a voracious expression, simply regarded them in such a way that they thought twice before approaching Yugi. He didn't lash out whenever someone bullied Yugi, but instead reprimanded them in his calm voice and then kept a slightly closer watch for the next week or so, until he was satisfied that they would not bother his brother again. He was a model big brother; Bakura was the model that had been set to hyper-protection mode. It was good to know that he was almost never in danger, but Ryou longed for the kind of freedom that Yugi enjoyed.

It had gotten quiet again, so Yugi spoke. "What do you think of the room assignments?"

"Ours?" He continued at Yugi's nod. "Honestly, it's…it's…_nice_. I think that it will be good for both me _and_ Bakura to spend some time apart. We've kind of ostracized ourselves, and that's something that I would like to reverse. What do you think?"

"I'm kind of disappointed. Not because of you!" he added quickly. "It's just that…well, Yami is graduating this year. I don't know what he's doing after high school, but no matter which university he chooses, I won't see him much. I wanted to be able to spend this last year with him."

Ryou nodded even though he didn't really understand. His goal was to enter a university so exclusive that there was no way Bakura could follow him, even _with_ the persuasive power of money. He had even considered continuing his education in America or Europe. They had money, but there was no way they could _both_ study abroad and remain as comfortable as they were now. Ryou was certain that _he_ would get the luxury of choosing whatever school he wanted. He wondered if Bakura would even _go_ to university if he couldn't follow his little brother; it seemed that his sole reason for keeping up with school was to stay by Ryou's side. "Have you ever considered following Yami to university?"

"Yeah, but when I mentioned it, he got really serious and told me that I shouldn't choose the same university as him unless I really liked it and wanted to go there." Yugi's older brother was all about self-discovery. He didn't speak much, but when he did, people listened: almost everything he said could be taken as personal advice. Yami reserved most of this advice for his brother, everything from self-confidence to his own conclusions about love. Though their grandpa had taught him much, Yugi attributed most of his practical knowledge to Yami. "I would love to follow him, but I'm going to do a lot of looking before I make any decisions. He would be disappointed if I didn't. What about you and Bakura?"

"Um…I don't know. It all depends on what we want to do, and neither of us knows yet. We'll probably end up waiting until next year to figure it out."

"I don't know what I want to do yet either. It's crazy to think that soon we're going to be adults taking care of ourselves."

_Bakura and I are _already_ adults taking care of ourselves._ They had been since they were old enough to figure out how to make simple food and dress themselves. Because that was about when the accident had happened…the car crash that had claimed their mother and their little sister Amane. They had only been six or seven years old at the time, but their father's work had forced them to grow up fast, too fast to enjoy childhood the way their classmates had. Bakura had automatically assumed the role of head of household, while Ryou had taken the more submissive, almost housewife-like position. Though Ryou never asked, Bakura would always help his twin with his self-designated chores, especially cooking—he was secretly an excellent chef, in comparison to the average person—and cleaning. He assumed the less desirable jobs, such as cleaning the bathroom, to spare his younger, more delicate brother the trouble. Ryou never complained, but deep down he resented Bakura's condescension. _He_ didn't consider himself any less able or willing to do any of the work, even though Bakura had only evened their responsibilities. "I guess so. It doesn't seem like so much of an adjustment for me."

"I feel like it's going to be a big change." Yugi and Yami had been lovingly raised by their grandpa. Their mother was some sort of a performer, no one famous, but usually traveling; they didn't even know where to _begin_ looking for their father. Even Yami didn't remember anything about him, so they knew he had to have left them when they were only infants. Yami had once speculated that Grandpa was their father's father, not their mother's, and that their father had died and their mother had dumped them on the only person she could turn to. Another time he had said that maybe it had been an affair that had lasted long enough to produce two children. Yugi had never voiced his own theory, because it seemed too ridiculous and messed up to be true: what if _Grandpa_ was their father? They knew that they were closely related to him; there was too much of a semblance for it to be coincidental. Grandpa had never answered questions about their father, so each theory seemed as likely as the next. "But it can't be so much different from living here, right? Except that we'd have to make our own food," he finished with a slight grin.

_Being an adult is _nothing_ like living here. _Here_ is the lap of luxury compared to adulthood._

"Ryou-kun?"

"Yes?" He hadn't thought he'd drifted for very long.

"Can I ask you a sort of personal question? I know it's going to sound kind of invasive and maybe rude, but—"

"Ask." He hoped that it didn't have anything to do with Bakura.

Yugi took a deep breath before turning his gaze to his feet and muttering, "Are you gay?" He looked back up to see bewilderment in his roommate's eyes. His face burned. "I'm sorry. That was dumb."

It took Ryou a moment to respond. The question had come from nowhere. He tried to track their conversation back and find what had sparked it, but there was nothing. Only when Yugi apologized was he able to answer. "No…no. It's…it's fine. I…I…just didn't expect it. Why do you ask?"

The other shrugged. "I don't know. I've kind of wondered since I met you. It's not that I would have a problem with it, and if you are it's not that it's blatantly obvious, but I just—"

Ryou stopped him again, before Yugi's voice could grow too shrill. "I think so. I've never been attracted to girls. What made you wonder?"

_That's a good question._ Yugi hadn't even consciously registered his curiosity until halfway through second semester last year. "Nothing big. It doesn't even have to do with your hair…that didn't come out right at all. After all, your hair is perfectly normal in comparison to _mine_," he laughed. His smile dissipated. "I think it's just…this is going to come out wrong again."

"Go on," Ryou urged. Now that it had been mentioned, he was curious as to what had given him away. Sure, he was more pretty than handsome, but so was Otogi, and he was as about as straight as a guy can get.

"Well…you just have this sort of softness, not like you're weak or helpless in any way, but more…delicate and sensitive." He huffed in frustration. "I can't put it into the right words."

"I think they're fine. They're ambiguous, but I understand how you mean them. I don't think there's a word for what you're trying to say that _couldn't_ be taken offensively." When Yugi said those words, it was no doubt a compliment. And yet the same words from Bakura were condescending and hurtful, even though his tone of voice was always at its most tender when he spoke them.

Yugi allowed Ryou his silence, and used it himself. Now that he'd said them, Yugi remembered that once—when no one had realized he was present—Yami had used those very same words to describe _him_. It had never before struck him that he and Ryou were so infinitely similar and yet so infinitely unique.

"What about you, Yugi-san?"

"What about me?" the boy replied, pulling out of his own daze.

"Well…like you said, you wondered because of something so subtle that most girls don't even see it." Ryou paused for a moment, hoping that Yugi could catch his vague drift. When it was apparent he could not, Ryou continued. "Takes one to know one?" he tried.

A moment later it clicked. "Oh! Oh…" Yugi struggled for words. "I…I don't think I've ever thought of anyone in particular that way. Except maybe for Anzu-chan, but we have too close of a brother-sister relationship to ever even _consider_ that. We could never risk losing each other. So…maybe it _does_ take one to know one. But it's not something I sit and think about a lot."

Ryou thought of how his brother would react to this confession. He would chuckle so softly that Yugi would not catch it, then think, _Impressionable _and_ attractive._ He would maybe even kiss him, just to say that he was the first. Bakura claimed to have no preference, but Ryou knew that neither of them ever had or ever would find anything sexually desirable in women that could not be found in men. Such was the result of having grown up so closely together. Ryou could see that he had raised a question that was almost alien to his roommate's mind, so he let him alone to consider this new possible aspect of himself and pulled out Bakura's mp3 player—they had traded on the train ride from their apartment across the city at Ryou's request, and had forgotten to trade back when they got off. He struggled with the strange earphones his brother had specifically requested. Once he had managed to get them on, he put the mp3 player on 'shuffle'. The song was one of the heavy metal Americans. He didn't try too hard to read the name and band; all he made out before he let the screen go black were the words 'simple' and 'breaking' on separate lines. Ryou allowed his head to bob to the beat as he sank into the music.

* * *

Wow. It feels like it took me _forever_ to figure out how to start, but once I did, _BAM!_, two days. _And_ a thousand words longer than the previous one. I _think_ I have a good feel for this type of story now, but we shall see next chapter, as this is the last purely backstory chapter. Hopefully having basically planned next chapter over the time it took me to write through introductions will get it out faster.

I have another pop culture reference! What song is Ryou listening to, and who's it by? Bonus points for album! (I honestly don't know why I ask. It's just kind of fun to me, I guess...)

Aside from all of that...R-E-V-I-E-W. _REVIEW!_ Thanks to all of you who do!


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